Meeting of the Parliament 11 February 2026 [Draft]
When we talk about community policing, what we are really talking about is the values that we think should be at the heart of our communities, and we are talking about safety. Safety is not simply the absence of crime; it is the presence of justice, dignity and trust. That must be the foundation of how we approach policing in our communities.
Much is often made of violent crime, and it is right that we take harm seriously. However, we also need honesty and perspective. Long-term trends show that recorded violent crime in Scotland has generally fallen over recent decades. That trend matters, because it challenges the narrative of constant escalation that is so often used to justify fear-based policies. It reminds us that safety cannot be built on panic, sensationalism or punitive reflexes, but on evidence, prevention and care.
At the same time, perceptions of safety tell a more complicated story. Many people—particularly women, racialised communities, LGBTQIA+ people and disabled people—still feel unsafe in their daily lives. That fear is real. However, responding to it requires us to understand where risk truly lies and to tackle its root causes: poverty, inequality, trauma, exclusion and the erosion of the public services that once held communities together.
Nowhere is the gap between rhetoric and reality clearer than in how we respond to racism and the rise of the far right. In the north-east, far-right groups have sought to organise and intimidate. Last year, in its 20th year, Aberdeen’s anti-racism march was attacked by members of a known racist and anti-immigrant group, who verbally and physically assaulted people who were attending a peaceful community event. The police did not prevent the confrontation, nor did they effectively stop it while it was happening. Instead, anti-racists stepped in to protect one another. That is not policing by consent; that is a failure of protection.
We have seen armed police deployed to arrest peaceful protesters who demonstrate against the genocide in Palestine—protesters who were later cleared of wrongdoing in court. Communities are left asking, “What are the police up to? What about proportionality and priorities? Why does peaceful protest appear to attract a heavy response, while racist intimidation appears to go unchallenged?”
What about consistency in the application of laws around stirring up hatred? At anti-immigrant demonstrations, individuals have openly called for the mass deportation of all black and brown people from Scotland, repeated antisemitic conspiracy theories or worse. There have been patterns of harassment: people have been followed, targeted and subjected to malicious allegations. Are we waiting for serious bodily harm to occur before intervention is deemed to be justified? Where is the bar for recognising intimidation and instigation?
Police Scotland must take seriously its responsibility to rebuild trust. Protecting free speech and the right to peaceful assembly must mean protecting those who stand against racism, not leaving them to defend themselves. Taking hate seriously means acting early, consistently and visibly. Community policing must mean standing with those who are targeted by hate, not treating them as collateral in a public order calculation.
Policing does not exist in isolation, and I appreciate Labour’s comments about officers being pulled into supporting people who are facing mental health crises or waiting for court processes to happen—that is not fair or right. If we are serious about community safety, we must think across portfolios—mental health provision, anti-poverty work, youth services and housing. Prevention is not a slogan; it requires investment. We must also be honest about where the risk is shifting. For many, cybercrime, online fraud and digital exploitation now pose greater threats than violence by strangers. If we misread risk, we misallocate resources.
Community policing must be rooted in equality, justice, accountability and compassion. If we want trust, we must earn it through consistency, protection of rights and a commitment to tackle harm wherever it arises.